Event

The Strong Man

Live Musical Accompaniment by BEN MODEL on the Cinemas Miditzer Theater Organ

With his quizzical expression and childlike demeanor, Harry Langdon was one of the slapstick cinema's brightest stars, a low-key alternative to his more fast-paced contemporaries. Here baby-faced Langdon is directed by the legendary Frank Capra. Many critics consider Langdon to be a true clown prince, on the same level with Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd. This film certainly proves he was worthy of that title. Harry plays a dim-witted Belgian who survives World War I and comes to America as the valet for a circus strong man, but Harry's real purpose is to find the dedicated pen pal (Mary Brown) whose letters lifted his spirits during the war. His hard-luck persona always had a melancholy air as he ambled through life, blissfully ignorant of the pitfalls of modernity. USA, 1926, 75 min., b/w

This event is dedicated to the memory of the Cinemas former silent film accompanist Gene Selesner